Alabama is ranked No. 1 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll and Paul Finebaum is still defending the SEC like its his own kid. All seems right in the world down in the South these days, and it’s about that time for the 2018 college football season to get underway.

In today’s college football landscape, a good uniform can mean everything. If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. It’s that simple, and uniforms have become a big deal for players, fans, and recruits across the country.

Let’s take a look at the best and worst uniforms in the SEC heading into the season:

The Classic: Alabama

Good luck trying to see any changes here. The Crimson Tide have been so dominant that they will have a different color Nike swoosh and patch for the College Football Playoff, but that’s about it. Everything else stays the same. There’s something to be said for a team walking into your stadium and destroying you in the simplest of uniforms. That’s Alabama, and the classics are as good as it gets.

The Brand New: Florida

A new era is officially underway in Gainesville, Florida, and we aren’t talking about Dan Mullen being the first-year head coach. After an incredible run donning the Nike swoosh, the Gators have made the slight switch to Jordan Brand. Florida is not shy with busting out some crazy alternate uniforms, and having the Jumpman logo on them is going to give them a nice touch.

Kentucky’s all whites with the blue-checkered pattern are clean, and the traditional blues are solid, but the alternate blacks with the blue-checkered pattern are strange and kind of atrocious, to be honest. It’s great to have another set of threads, but these should be saved for a rainy day. There’s just something about the checkered sleeves that seem a tad bit off in general, and the alternates are by far the most bizarre for a school with pretty easy colors to work with. Keep rocking the chrome helmets, though, Wildcats.

The Worst: Mississippi State

A post shared by MSU Football (@hailstatefb) on Jul 20, 2018 at 11:44am PDT

From a tradition home uniform standpoint, these don’t stand much of a chance in the legit category. The logo on the helmet is too massive, the school name across the chest of the jerseys is awkward, and it’s all the same dull maroon. Basically, this can all be solved if the Bulldog mascot showed up on the helmet. Mississippi State’s alternates are great, especially the lid being a different color, but the equipment team needs to step up their game here. Nobody likes being in the uniform basement.

The Best: LSU

A post shared by LSU Football (@lsufootball) on Nov 4, 2017 at 4:59pm PDT

From the color scheme to the simple stripes to the clean helmet to the crazy Tiger gloves, LSU checks off all of the boxes for what it takes to have the best uniforms. There’s nothing crazy or flashy and the logos are appropriately placed. Really, there is just nothing to object here. Georgia has some great uniforms, too, but no one deserves the top spot over the Tigers in the SEC.

With over 10 years of sports writing experience, Brett has covered some of the top local, regional, and national sporting events in the Heartland for both print and digital platforms. He is a graduate of Kansas State University and resides in Austin, Texas.